2002 United States Grand Prix
29 September | officialname = XXXI SAP United States Grand Prix | circuit = Indianapolis Motor Speedway | location = Speedway, Indiana, USA | circuittype = Permanent racing facility | lapdistance = 4.195 | laps = 73 | distance = 306.235 | pole = Michael Schumacher | polenation = GER | poleteam = | poletime = 1:10.790 | fastestlap = 1:12.738 | fastestlapdriver = Rubens Barrichello | fastestlapnation = BRA | fastestlapteam = | fastestlapnumber = 27 | winner = Rubens Barrichello | winnernation = BRA | winnerteam = | second = Michael Schumacher | secondnation = GER | secondteam = | third = David Coulthard | thirdnation = GBR | thirdteam = }} The XXXI SAP United States Grand Prix, otherwise known as the 2002 United States Grand Prix, was the sixteenth and penultimate round of the FIA Formula One World Championship, staged at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indiana, USA, on 29 September 2002.'United States GP, 2002', grandprix.com, (Inside F1 Inc., 2014), https://www.grandprix.com/gpe/rr696.html, (Accessed 21/11/2019) The race would see Rubens Barrichello and Michael Schumacher attempt to stage a dead-heat victory for , with the Brazilian ultimately emerging ahead by 0.011s. The race was Ferrari's, and Schumacher's, to lose right from the start of practice, with the German ace claiming pole position in qualifying by a quarter of a second. Barrichello made it a front row lock-out ahead of David Coulthard, two-thirds of a second behind, with the Scot just ahead of Juan Pablo Montoya. Furthermore, it was formation flying from the Ferraris at the start, with Schumacher leading Barrichello unopposed into the first corner. Behind, Coulthard consolidated third place, while Ralf Schumacher managed to scramble ahead of teammate Montoya to claim fourth. With that the Ferraris were away, Schumacher dragging Barrichello clear, while Coulthard ran without trouble from the two s. Indeed, the two Williams would instead exchange a series of blows during the opening two laps, culminating in a collision at the start of lap three that left Ralf Schumacher with a broken rear wing. The action at the head of the field soon tailed off, with the only interest coming in how the various pit stop strategies, two-stop for Bridgestone runners and one-stop for the Michelin mob, would play out. Indeed, it was only when the two Ferraris swept in for their stops that some outside of a scarlet Ferrari led the race, Coulthard inheriting a brief lead. Once Coulthard stopped the race lead was handed back to Schumacher, who duly stopped for a second time without losing the lead later on. Behind, Barrichello was a secure second, trailing his teammate by a couple of seconds, while Coulthard's superior strategy left him within sight of the Ferraris, but with no hope of catching them, let alone beating them. Elsewhere, Montoya's race was ruined when he misinterpreted his pitboard, coming in for his stop ten laps earlier than planned. Kimi Räikkönen, meanwhile, would spend most of the race on nine and a half cylinders, his limping around until it finally failed on lap 50, promoting Jarno Trulli and Jacques Villeneuve into the points. With that the race seemed to be over, with Barrichello unable to get within a second of Schumacher, and neither of the Ferraris particularly pushing. However, as they came around the final banked curve to complete the final lap, Schumacher did the unexpected and pulled wide, opening the door for Barrichello to sweep inside. Barrichello briefly hesitated, unsure whether he should take the opportunity or not, resulting in the two Ferraris sweeping across the line side-by-side, although with no-one sure whom was ahead of whom. The timesheets soon revealed that Barrichello was the victor by 0.011s, although there were plenty of scarlet faces blossoming in the Ferrari pitbox as Coulthard swept across the line to complete the podium. Indeed, speculation about why Schumacher had moved aside was rampant, with many concluding that he had moved aside to gift Barrichello the win as a thank you to the Brazilian for doing so in Austria. This was countered by Schumacher who stated that he had wanted to stage a dead-heat finish, while Barrichello was simply confused. Officially the 2002 United States Grand Prix, had the second smallest winning margin in F1 history, and the smallest timed to a thousandth of a second. It was also the closest ever finish to any race staged at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and the narrowest winning margin for the US Grand Prix. The race was also noted as one of the rare times in which Bernd Mayländer was unable to drive the Safety Car, resulting in Damien Faulkner taking over the role for one race. Background Victory for Rubens Barrichello left the Brazilian racer in a clear second place in the Championship with two races to go, meaning he could secure the runner-up spot in the United States. Indeed, as teammate Michael Schumacher smashed the record for most points scored in a single season, the Brazilian racer would need just three points in Indianapolis to secure a one-two for in the Drivers Championship. Furthermore, only Juan Pablo Montoya and Ralf Schumacher could now mathematically deny Barrichello, David Coulthard having fallen out of the fight. In the Constructors Championship it had been another impressive day for Ferrari, with a seventh one-two moving them to within touching distance of the 200 point mark. Furthermore, their 189 point tally was 103 more than second placed , with the Anglo-German squad set to finish a distant second. Indeed, were fast running out of time to close the gap, and would now required two one-twos in the final races just to get back on terms with their compatriots. Entry list The full entry list for the is outlined below: Practice Overview Free Practice 1 Free Practice 2 Warm-Up Practice Results The full practice results for the are outlined below: Qualifying Qualifying Report Qualifying Results The full qualifying results for the are outlined below: *T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car to set their best time in that session. *'Bold' indicates a driver's best/qualifying time. Grid Race Report Results The full results for the are outlined below: *T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car. Milestones * Jenson Button made his 50th Grand Prix start.'16. USA 2002', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2002/etats-unis.aspx, (Accessed 21/11/2019) * 50th Grand Prix appearance for as a constructor. * 50th Grand Prix start for Nick Heidfeld.'2002 United States GP', chicanef1.com, (Chicane F1, 2014), http://www.chicanef1.com/racetit.pl?year=2002&gp=United%20States%20GP&r=1, (Accessed 21/11/2019) * Michael Schumacher secured the 200th pole position for Shell as a lubricant supplier. * Rubens Barrichello claimed his fifth career victory. ** This was also the second smallest winning margin in F1 history - 0.011s. * claimed their 158th win as a constructor and engine supplier. * Schumacher set a new record for most point scoring finishes in a single season - 16. Standings Michael Schumacher moved onto 134 points after another podium finish, although that was overshadowed by more PR embarrassment for the German ace. Behind, Rubens Barrichello had secured the runner-up spot with his win, leaving Juan Pablo Montoya, Ralf Schumacher and David Coulthard to fight for third. It was the Colombian racer who held the advantage, five ahead of Ralf Schumacher, while Coulthard sat six off third place. In the Constructors Championship smashed through the 200 point barrier, ending the weekend on 205 points. Behind, had been confirmed in second place, albeit with less than half the points of the Scuderia, while were confirmed in third place. Elsewhere, were almost guaranteed to claim fourth, while moved level with . Only point scoring drivers and constructors are shown. References Images and Videos: * References: Category:Grand Prix articles Category:2002 Grands Prix Category:United States Grand Prix Category:Formula One races in the United States